The position

The Aga Khan Foundation, EA is currently seeking a dynamic and motivated individual to fill the role of Partnerships Manager, to be based in Nairobi. AKF EA works in collaboration with partners to develop and promote innovative solutions that contribute to improving the quality of life in East Africa. AKF responds to local and regional priorities by developing effective programming, measuring and documenting results, and sharing its lessons with governments, donors, and development actors to influence policy and practice. The Partnership Manager roll calls for a high degree of results-orientation, service-focused, and action-orientation, and is considered a crucial member of the Senior Management Team.

The Mission of Partnerships is to strengthen & promote the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) through:

• Building strategic partnerships to address AKDN development priorities;
• Securing resources from institutional donors (national governments, bi-laterals, multi-laterals, foundations, corporates);
• Ensuring & strengthening our reputation through first-class grant management;
• Influencing the development sector & communicating practical lessons & results.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Mobilizing Resources (40%)

• Pipeline development, management, and tracking: develop & track a diversified pipeline of funding opportunities, manage them from early opportunities, through to signing of agreements, to project initiation.
• Community-led design: through regular field visits & interactions with AKF programme staff & beneficiaries, identify funding needs/intervention opportunities & update priorities accordingly.
• Concept and proposal development: coordinate, facilitate, & lead the development, review, & quality assurance of expressions of interest, concept notes & full proposals as well as pitch materials.
• Contracting and negotiation: coordinate & lead processes of contracting & negotiation, ensuring contracts ‘get over the line’ in a timely & efficient way.

Strategic Relationship Management (20%)

• Donor landscaping and analysis: research & perform systematic analysis of market trends on new donors, peer organisations, & funding opportunities to identify potential funding & partnering matches for AKF & AKDN.
• Stakeholder engagement and positioning: continuously scan & engage with new & existing donors & partners to identify solicited & unsolicited funding opportunities.
• Build strategic partnerships: work with donor units, AKDN agencies, & GPT to identify, build, & support strategic partnerships on global & regional initiatives with likeminded donors & partners.

Grants Management & Compliance (35%)

• Donor reporting: oversee & coordinate the review of donor reports & technical papers to ensure the highest quality possible.
• Donor relationship management: interface with donors & communicate on a regular basis about the implementation of ongoing grants. Address queries or challenges diplomatically & effective way.
• Donor deliverables coordination, quality assurance, and compliance: oversight, coordination, review & quality assurance of donor deliverables is upheld.
• Contractual amendments and adaptations: coordinate contractual amendments, changes, & project adaptations, engaging with donors in a pro-active & diplomatic way, & flagging potential changes in advance.
• Routine grant monitoring and administration: facilitate grant monitoring efforts, including grant kick-off meetings, dissemination of key information to staff, donor steering committees, & donor monitoring missions.

Strategic Leadership (5%)

• Actively participate as a member of the country’s Senior Management Team (SMT).
• Support the CEO of AKF in monitoring progress against AKF in the country’s strategic plan.

The requirements

Required Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• A Master’s degree in International Development, Political Science, International Relations, or other relevant field plus a minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience with a minimum three (3) years of senior management experience in donor dialogue and communications, preferably in the field of international development. Proven experience within a thematic sector of interest would be considered an asset (i.e. climate, education, early childhood development, civil society, employability/entrepreneurship).
• Must have excellent writing skills and ability to organize large amounts of complex data. Excellent English language skills and proficiency to write and edit complex products for purposeful structure, clarity of ideas, and logical, persuasive presentation.
• Experience in management, leadership and mentoring staff with willingness to visit programmes in the field
• Working with Governments and development partners to form positive relationships to mobilise resources.
• Demonstrable experience of securing large competitive and unsolicited funding from institutional donors and emerging market donors. Extensive knowledge of the global and in-country donor landscape/mapping
• Demonstrated ability to develop and track implementation of resource mobilization strategies and to mobilize relevant internal stakeholders to deliver a donor engagement strategy.
• Track record of leading hybrid teams of direct and indirect reports, staff and consultants.
• Must possess exceptional communications and interpersonal skills and experience in hands on management, leadership and mentoring staff, with a willingness to visit programmes in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and rapidly and analyze diverse information from varied sources.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiatives, good personal organization skills, personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines, work under pressure, and achieve agreed-upon results, including securing financial contributions from donors.